Related
Has anyone else notice the touch screen being very inaccurate on their kaiser? I mostly notice it in the dialer. For example i press 5 and it does 8 instead. Sometimes i even hit 2 and get 8 which is really bizzare. I'm using the HTC dialer, so maybe thats the issue. I'm going to switch to the windows dialer tonight and see if thats any better. I also have problems getting it to recognize presses at all sometimes. Sometimes i have to press the screen so hard that it distorts (i know thats bad for it but i just get so frustrated, especially when the photo album randomly opens while im on the phone, and then when i need to use the keypad I can't get the damn album to close because the screen doesnt recognize my tap, or thinks im tapping somewhere else. I've ran the screen alignment a few times, and tried doing it with my finger and with the stylus. Do i just have a dud?
Josh
Have you tried realigning the screen? Pretty basic stuff.
I have the same exact problem. Especially with the numbers. I switched to the other dialer (no video cal one) and its still the same. I have calibrated tons butits no better.
Yes, as i said, i've ran the screen alignment numerous times, and tried it both with the stylus and with my finger.
yea, i have teh same problem.. its definiately not a realignement problem.
It happens with the htc dialpad, and somtimes the htc skined calculator
i thought maybe it could be touchflo.. i didnt have this problem at all with the 8525
And I thought it just me!
I get this problem too when using the dialler (both HTC and WM6).
Looks like a few of us have this problem. I notice it on the today screen using HTC home, i go to tap the weather icon and end up opening the clock. Try diabling the touch cube (if you have it installed) seemed to improve things for me.
vlad69uk said:
Looks like a few of us have this problem. I notice it on the today screen using HTC home, i go to tap the weather icon and end up opening the clock. Try diabling the touch cube (if you have it installed) seemed to improve things for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've noticed this. I always align my screen with the stylus to get the best accuracy but when certain app's are loaded that are designed for finger use, they change the touch-screen sensitivity so that when you need to use the stylus again for small items, its all screwed up!
I found if I stick to what the unit is designed for its OK!
Farsquidge said:
I've noticed this. I always align my screen with the stylus to get the best accuracy but when certain app's are loaded that are designed for finger use, they change the touch-screen sensitivity so that when you need to use the stylus again for small items, its all screwed up!
I found if I stick to what the unit is designed for its OK!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So the Kaiser was not designed to make phone calls? Perhaps you are supposed to only dial people from your contact list (synced from MS Outlook of course) or use MS Voice Command?
jgermuga said:
So the Kaiser was not designed to make phone calls? Perhaps you are supposed to only dial people from your contact list (synced from MS Outlook of course) or use MS Voice Command?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, here we go...
NO, what I meant is that if you want an iPod type interface then buy one. The 'Kaiser' comes with a stylus that gives you precise touch input.
To use a 'grubby' finger to gain access the touch interface has to be 'DE-Tuned' to accept an approximation input and once an app that does this is installed you will have to accept some changes for precise input apps you already have!
For pity's sake, some people expect things out of this device even a Tablet laptop could not provide!!!
Farsquidge said:
Oh, here we go...
NO, what I meant is that if you want an iPod type interface then buy one. The 'Kaiser' comes with a stylus that gives you precise touch input.
To use a 'grubby' finger to gain access the touch interface has to be 'DE-Tuned' to accept an approximation input and once an app that does this is installed you will have to accept some changes for precise input apps you already have!
For pity's sake, some people expect things out of this device even a Tablet laptop could not provide!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I have always found the phone dialer to be a problem and after 4 device iterations and 3 OS iterations, you would think it could be resolved.
Plus, HTC included TouchFlo on this device, which to me is also severely flawed to the point of being worthless. Even so, this sets the expectation that you can use your "grubby" finger when you need to, not only to dial a phone number but to scroll a contact list.
I don't get why you toss out constant excuses for the Kaiser not being designed to do this, that or the other thing. As far as I am concerned, I paid 3 times the cost of a modest dedicated GPS, dedicated PMP and a phone to get it all in one CONVERGED device. If only I wanted a phone, I would have bought a phone, if only I wanted an MPS player I would have bought an MP3 player, etc, etc, but I opted to pay much (much, much) more for the ability to get all these things in ONE device. So why should I not have a right to be disappointed with problems that linger for years and years, or for poor implementation of features that had better support on lesser devices, such as video playback.
Granted, HTC does not out this product as a media player, but given that it is similar in design to previous models, which did at least an adequate job, has left many people who thought they were upgrading feeling disappointed. Plus, it is VERY difficult to try all these features out before making a decision, and when people come to place like this forum to ask questions, they get flamed.
It seems your solution to the disappointment is to buy a fanny pack and load it up with a camera, a game player, an mp3 player, a personal media player, a phone, a GPS... and what the heck, we'll even throw in a Kindle for good measure.
What's up? Do you sell fanny packs?
jgermuga said:
Well I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I have always found the phone dialer to be a problem and after 4 device iterations and 3 OS iterations, you would think it could be resolved.
Plus, HTC included TouchFlo on this device, which to me is also severely flawed to the point of being worthless. Even so, this sets the expectation that you can use your "grubby" finger when you need to, not only to dial a phone number but to scroll a contact list.
I don't get why you toss out constant excuses for the Kaiser not being designed to do this, that or the other thing. As far as I am concerned, I paid 3 times the cost of a modest dedicated GPS, dedicated PMP and a phone to get it all in one CONVERGED device. If only I wanted a phone, I would have bought a phone, if only I wanted an MPS player I would have bought an MP3 player, etc, etc, but I opted to pay much (much, much) more for the ability to get all these things in ONE device. So why should I not have a right to be disappointed with problems that linger for years and years, or for poor implementation of features that had better support on lesser devices, such as video playback.
Granted, HTC does not out this product as a media player, but given that it is similar in design to previous models, which did at least an adequate job, has left many people who thought they were upgrading feeling disappointed. Plus, it is VERY difficult to try all these features out before making a decision, and when people come to place like this forum to ask questions, they get flamed.
It seems your solution to the disappointment is to buy a fanny pack and load it up with a camera, a game player, an mp3 player, a personal media player, a phone, a GPS... and what the heck, we'll even throw in a Kindle for good measure.
What's up? Do you sell fanny packs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My only advice to people who constantly moan about the device like you do is take it back or sell it!!
It obviously is not what you want so why do you keep it??
Sure, that's easy to say. I'll just go and drop another $500+ on a phone and memory card. What the heck. It's only money, right? And while I'm at it, I'll just plop down another $200 for getting out of my AT&T contract. And then keep my fingers crossed I can get a decent price off eBay. And that's even before spending time reflashing the AT&t ROM to stock and getting an unlock code. Cmon, get real.
If the Nokia N95 had a touch screen or the Sony W960i had support for AT&T bands, I would have already dropped this model. I could use a break from WinMo anyway. To bad Symbian isn't as popular on this side of the pond.
Otherwise, I don't see any non-HTC phones other then the E-Ten X800 that I would consider a major upgrade to my 8125. I sat on the sidelines for the Tytn I because I wanted on board GPS. What a poor tradeoff that turned out to be. It is likely I will wind up going with a T-Mobile Shadow keep the phone and and break the contract, which would still be cheaper than what I paid for the Tilt after the AT&T deal. Hopefully I'll be able to come out even after all is said and done. At least it is smaller and cheaper.
I'd wait for the Cruise but I am not too thrilled to pay nearly 3/4 of a grand for something that can't render video.
Yes, I am frustrated. From the AT&T bloatware to the lack of accessories (it didn't even come with a case????) to the video driver problems, the TouchFlo not working, yada yada yada, I've had it with this phone. I actually liked my 8125 better, and as a basis of comparison, I saw far fewer complaints about that model when it was the top dog.
So sad to say, the Kaiser looks great on paper, but it falls short on implementation.
These are the first impressions of a power user after a week with the Diamond - I hope they might help others to decide whether to get one.
EDIT: Things have moved on since this post, you might want to look at post #39 too (page 4)
Background
I'm a power user but also a heavy day-to-day user as well. I use my phone for calling people, basic PDA functions, OTA google sync, web access, IMAP mail, GPS and also .NET software development. (I'm the author of 'Touch Settings') I used to have an HTC Touch. Before that, an HTC Prophet. Before that, an HTC MDA Compact.. ..you get the idea. I like HTC devices. I've stuck with them all, put up with their frustrations and watched them steadily improve. But this phone felt like the most exciting release yet. A massive leap forward in terms of specs. I was calling up Orange for about a month to find out the ETA. I actually RAN to the Orange Shop in Oxford Street and managed to get their last one in stock at the weekend!
So, one week in, here we go...
Great things
THE SCREEN
My favourite thing is the VGA screen. I cannot believe the difference it makes to the look of the phone, seriously. I could never go back to QVGA again now, this is a major improvement. Just reading the operator name in a slim, Arial-Narrow type font at the top of the screen and not being able to see the individual pixels, this is a true step forward. Everything, repeat, EVERYTHING looks better.
THE CAMERA
The auto-focus camera is nothing short of brilliant. Still rubbish in low-light levels, still no flash, but this is light-years ahead of the last one! I still get a little smirk of delight on my face when I hear it whirring as it focuses ahead of taking a picture!
A FASTER PROCESSOR
Hooray! FINALLY!... 528MHz ...4 times faster than my HTC Touch!...in theory. See below.
THE NEW ADD-ONS
Having GPS, FM radio, a tilt switch, a light sensor and more is fantastic. Teeter, the game, is awesome and will impress every person you know at a party.
THE SIZE
The Diamond is slightly smaller than the HTC Touch as well - easier to fit in a pocket. And it really does look gorgeous. Well done HTC.
Enough praise. Because then there's all this:
The Not-so-great things:
THE SPEED
Pop Quiz. Take your Windows Mobile phone. Tap the start button. Then tap 'Programs'. Does the window flash onto your screen immediately? No. There's a delay, isn't there? And sometimes you can even see it drawing every individual icon, top-to-bottom. On my HTC Touch, after a day of use, this took about 2 seconds.
On the Diamond, with TouchFlo 3D running, it's worse.
Skip this paragraph if you don't want a rant. Seriously, when are Windows Mobile phones actually going to get responsive enough to be useable? Delays when you press buttons, delays when you bring up menus, switch applications, etc, etc. What the hell is this operating system DOING with those 537 mega cycles per second??? Having patiently waited through my last THREE sloooow devices, I was thrilled at the thought of a phone that actually whizzed along... ...but it's a bit like going from XP on a slow computer to Vista on a fast computer - no noticable increase in speed at all. Such a crushing disappointment. My old Nokia could re-draw a screen faster 3 years ago. In this day and age, and with a processor doing a belting 500+ MHz, this should NOT be happening. Things should appear INSTANTLY and react the VERY MOMENT you touch them. I am running out of patience. The iPhone is looking more attactive every day.
TFL3D - INTERFACE
Fantastic to look at, but surprisngly sluggish to use. The more days that pass, the more it's becoming apparent that this interface is more about form and less about function. It's also often lacking in visual feedback; sometimes a button will move when you drag it (main nav bar at the bottom), sometimes not! You just have to swipe and see! Visual feedback is a very important part of user interface design.
COMMON ACTIONS, E.G. CALLING PEOPLE
I feel that, action-wise, some things have (incredibly) got HARDER since my HTC Touch. For example, I used to be able to call my favourite contacts with a swipe and a tap.. ..now it's a swipe, a complicated side-swipey thing, a painstaking wait for the piccies to flip around, and finally a tap. Er, hello? This is the MAIN THING I USE THE PHONE FOR - CALLING PEOPLE! I can't even position my favourite contacts in memorable places; again, a big factor in user interface design, hence why you remember where your icons are on your PC's desktop.
HOME SCREEN (TFL3D again really)
I can't add any custom home screen items! What the hell happened to being able to view my list of things to do? (tasks) Seriously, this is a shockingly bad step back. I know there are some apps to work around this, but I'm doing a review of the stock phone and software here.
THE JOYPAD
This should be renamed the joy-less pad. It's virtually impossible to click the Left and Right buttons without frequently mis-tapping and hitting the 'Back' or 'Hang Up' keys instead. There are no markings, you just sort of have to 'guess' where abouts on the flat screen to tap. The actual target area isn't big enough and I'm getting sick of quitting out of screens when I just want to move right or left. I've got fairly big hands but I'm no elephant.
The ipod-style 'whiz-around' wheel seems promising but when you try it, it's under-responsive and jerky in its movements. I would suggest that's why they've limited the applications that support it by default.
NO MINI SD CARD SLOT
Another step back - from 8Gb storage on my HTC Touch (with a mini SD card) to a paltry 4Gb now. Not enough to put all my music on the phone plus nav software, and no slot for more storage.
GROSS GREASINESS
As other forum users have pointed out, all that swiping on this shiny black device - it looks like the back of a transit van after a minute or so of use.
CONCLUSION
Owning an HTC Diamond is without doubt a step forward from an HTC Touch, but it's a smaller step than you might think. Be prepared for a mixed bag of emotions. Joy at the look of the thing, disappointment when you realise it's slower than you hoped, shouts of happiness when you first play 'Teeter', cries of frustration when the screen turns off randomly during calls or you miss-hit the joypad button or you can't swipe the tiny bit of the screen you're meant to.
After all that, I might surprise you by saying this. I would still say this phone is the best option on the market for the day-to-day user who wants an ultra-portable device that packs enough power to do that bit more than just making calls.
Just 24 hours into owning the phone I did my first ROM flash, from 1.37...1 to 1.37...3 - and this helped the speed somewhat and fixed a memory leak. I also tweaked the registry as much as I could. This has helped too, but the above problems are all still too evident, nothing has really improved enough to make me retract any of them. Keep watching these forums, though, because future ROM updates have the power to make this device much, much better.
That's about it, I hope these comments have helped, or given you something to debate in the space below. I'm going to stick with the Diamond for now. But I wouldn't mind betting I'll have completely disabled TouchFlo 3D before the week is out...
Carlos
I too wonder how long I will last with TF3D. However, the joypad is no problem. Simply use the centre button as a reference point. If you rest part of your thumb in there and press any side of it, then it is easy to navigate. At least I find it easy anyway. Hope that might help you.
carlosp_uk said:
I was calling up Orange for about a month to find out the ETA. I actually RAN to the Orange Shop in Oxford Street and managed to get their last one in stock at the weekend!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you were really a fan you would have made sure you were the first, and didn't have to run
mcwtrekkie said:
If you were really a fan you would have made sure you were the first, and didn't have to run
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I may well have been Orange's first online order! Could not wait.
evilskanker said:
I think I may well have been Orange's first online order! Could not wait.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the spirit!
Has anyone managed to add a UK city to the weather forecast page ? I found it almost impossible to scroll down to the last page, it keeps selecting wrong countries, the only way I see - scroll one-by-one using hardware buttons ....
Yes, I added 3. Scroll with finger, well, more of a flick.
evilskanker said:
Yes, I added 3. Scroll with finger, well, more of a flick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I've tried about 20 different ways of scrolling with a finger, always end up with a list of south american cities ... (
Comparing to my old Orbit, I would say I have to press harder for screen to react ..
hertc said:
I think I've tried about 20 different ways of scrolling with a finger, always end up with a list of south american cities ... (
Comparing to my old Orbit, I would say I have to press harder for screen to react ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's at times like these that it would be good to be able to use the wheel for scrolling down.
evilskanker said:
It's at times like these that it would be good to be able to use the wheel for scrolling down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree, still remember Sony J7 I had long time ago, all these things were so easy with a wheel ..
hertc said:
Comparing to my old Orbit, I would say I have to press harder for screen to react ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently the Diamond is the first PocketPC device to have a tempered glass screen to make it extra tough. This makes it require a little more pressure than other devices.
But much more resilient to damage, and also nicer on the eye.
wasn't to amazed with the stock rom,
but after some days of usage and flashing the first cooked rom,
i am getting more and more into my new mobile..
Totally agree, using my Diamond for a week after three years on I-mate's.
carlosp_uk said:
CALLING PEOPLE
I feel that, action-wise, some things have (incredibly) got HARDER since my HTC Touch. For example, I used to be able to call my favourite contacts with a swipe and a tap.. ..now it's a swipe, a complicated side-swipey thing, a painstaking wait for the piccies to flip around, and finally a tap. Er, hello? This is the MAIN THING I USE THE PHONE FOR - CALLING PEOPLE! I can't even position my favourite contacts in memorable places;
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a suggestion -
Speed Dialing.
you can place at least SOME off your favorites in the positions you want.. and then it will just be one long press.. and it will dial.
Phone - menu - Speed Dial.
and of course.. there is always voice dialing.
Turn off TF3D. Ive heard is does HUGE things for the interface speed, and you'll get your tasks back (first thing Im going to do when I get a sprint diamond on this side of the pond)
I agree on almost every point
Not having used touch before, I really can't say anything bad about the navigation. To me it's a revolution, but it's not quite there yet.
The biggest flaw is the biggest asset. Let me explain.
The biggest asset to this device is the screen. I have never liked the screen on any of the QVGA devices I have used (Wizard and Hermes). The VGA screen on the Diamond is fantastic! Crisp and easy to read, even in direct sunlight. The words by HTC "Not too big, not too small" really sums up my feelings about it. However. Screen size is relative to what you display on it. I'm sure a lot of research, testing and effort went in to decide the size of the elements on the TF3D interface. Personally I would have designed it differently.
The main professional reason I choose to use a WiMo is Active Sync OTA (Over-The-Air). Having direct push of Mail, Calendar and Contacts to my device is critical in my profession. This HAS to work, it has to be easy to use, and easy to read. On the Diamond it works fantastically. Lots better than on the Hermes. It takes some getting used to, when you have never used touchflo before.
The touch interface has to be finger friendly, demanding finger sized icons and buttons. Having a small screen required HTC to use the entire screen. That makes you wish for a larger screen, yet a larger screen would require a larger device and I dont want that. Dilemma.
Like you said, the TF3D interface lacks in visual feedback. This could be replaced by tactile feedback. The same technology used in the game TEETER could be used to give me feedback on my actions.
Being a WiMo certified pro I know that the main obstacle for HTC is WiMo itself, or rather the Windows CE it is built upon. Win CE 5 is nowhere near a realtime OS and the switch to Win CE 6 (afaik it will be the foundation for WiMo 7) will be a major leap. CE6 is not a RTOS either, but it has the means to enable truly great applications. I look forward to what Developers will create for WiMo7.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Embedded_CE_6.0)
The only thing I really dislike on my Diamond is the scrollwheel. I clearly does not work like you would expect it to. Unintuitive. And the Up/Down/Left/Right navigation around it is near unusable. Using the touch screen works though so it is not a showstopper for me.
Speed of the interface is good once you have used the cache size tweaks. Not great but good.
I fully agree on the speed comment, 527mhz... but it seems it's different mhz compared to my HTC Herald (P4350).
On my Herald I also have WM6.1, a 200mhz cpu (o'ced to 240 mhz) and everything starts faster!
I've got the 1.37.xxx.3 rom on my Diamond, TF3D disabled and still it's slower.
Very strange indeed.
guys i suggest you all to flash duttythroy's diamond project v2 rom. it increased the usability amazingly.
guys i suggest you all to flash duttythroy's diamond project v2 rom. it increased the usability amazingly. and c'mon guys, our shiny precioussssssss is out some weeks. look what they've done with the kaiser within one year... stay patient and keep being excited for that genius piece of hardware.
carlosp_uk said:
These are the first impressions of a power user after a week with the Diamond - I hope they might help others to decide whether to get one.
Background
I'm a power user but also a heavy day-to-day user as well. I use my phone for calling people, basic PDA functions, OTA google sync, web access, IMAP mail, GPS and also .NET software development. (I'm the author of 'Touch Settings') I used to have an HTC Touch. Before that, an HTC Prophet. Before that, an HTC MDA Compact.. ..you get the idea. I like HTC devices. I've stuck with them all, put up with their frustrations and watched them steadily improve. But this phone felt like the most exciting release yet. A massive leap forward in terms of specs. I was calling up Orange for about a month to find out the ETA. I actually RAN to the Orange Shop in Oxford Street and managed to get their last one in stock at the weekend!
So, one week in, here we go...
Great things
THE SCREEN
My favourite thing is the VGA screen. I cannot believe the difference it makes to the look of the phone, seriously. I could never go back to QVGA again now, this is a major improvement. Just reading the operator name in a slim, Arial-Narrow type font at the top of the screen and not being able to see the individual pixels, this is a true step forward. Everything, repeat, EVERYTHING looks better.
THE CAMERA
The auto-focus camera is nothing short of brilliant. Still rubbish in low-light levels, still no flash, but this is light-years ahead of the last one! I still get a little smirk of delight on my face when I hear it whirring as it focuses ahead of taking a picture!
A FASTER PROCESSOR
Hooray! FINALLY!... 528MHz ...4 times faster than my HTC Touch!...in theory. See below.
THE NEW ADD-ONS
Having GPS, FM radio, a tilt switch, a light sensor and more is fantastic. Teeter, the game, is awesome and will impress every person you know at a party.
THE SIZE
The Diamond is slightly smaller than the HTC Touch as well - easier to fit in a pocket. And it really does look gorgeous. Well done HTC.
Enough praise. Because then there's all this:
The Not-so-great things:
THE SPEED
Pop Quiz. Take your Windows Mobile phone. Tap the start button. Then tap 'Programs'. Does the window flash onto your screen immediately? No. There's a delay, isn't there? And sometimes you can even see it drawing every individual icon, top-to-bottom. On my HTC Touch, after a day of use, this took about 2 seconds.
On the Diamond, with TouchFlo 3D running, it's worse.
Skip this paragraph if you don't want a rant. Seriously, when are Windows Mobile phones actually going to get responsive enough to be useable? Delays when you press buttons, delays when you bring up menus, switch applications, etc, etc. What the hell is this operating system DOING with those 537 mega cycles per second??? Having patiently waited through my last THREE sloooow devices, I was thrilled at the thought of a phone that actually whizzed along... ...but it's a bit like going from XP on a slow computer to Vista on a fast computer - no noticable increase in speed at all. Such a crushing disappointment. My old Nokia could re-draw a screen faster 3 years ago. In this day and age, and with a processor doing a belting 500+ MHz, this should NOT be happening. Things should appear INSTANTLY and react the VERY MOMENT you touch them. I am running out of patience. The iPhone is looking more attactive every day.
TFL3D - INTERFACE
Fantastic to look at, but surprisngly sluggish to use. The more days that pass, the more it's becoming apparent that this interface is more about form and less about function. It's also often lacking in visual feedback; sometimes a button will move when you drag it (main nav bar at the bottom), sometimes not! You just have to swipe and see! Visual feedback is a very important part of user interface design.
COMMON ACTIONS, E.G. CALLING PEOPLE
I feel that, action-wise, some things have (incredibly) got HARDER since my HTC Touch. For example, I used to be able to call my favourite contacts with a swipe and a tap.. ..now it's a swipe, a complicated side-swipey thing, a painstaking wait for the piccies to flip around, and finally a tap. Er, hello? This is the MAIN THING I USE THE PHONE FOR - CALLING PEOPLE! I can't even position my favourite contacts in memorable places; again, a big factor in user interface design, hence why you remember where your icons are on your PC's desktop.
HOME SCREEN (TFL3D again really)
I can't add any custom home screen items! What the hell happened to being able to view my list of things to do? (tasks) Seriously, this is a shockingly bad step back. I know there are some apps to work around this, but I'm doing a review of the stock phone and software here.
THE JOYPAD
This should be renamed the joy-less pad. It's virtually impossible to click the Left and Right buttons without frequently mis-tapping and hitting the 'Back' or 'Hang Up' keys instead. There are no markings, you just sort of have to 'guess' where abouts on the flat screen to tap. The actual target area isn't big enough and I'm getting sick of quitting out of screens when I just want to move right or left. I've got fairly big hands but I'm no elephant.
The ipod-style 'whiz-around' wheel seems promising but when you try it, it's under-responsive and jerky in its movements. I would suggest that's why they've limited the applications that support it by default.
NO MINI SD CARD SLOT
Another step back - from 8Gb storage on my HTC Touch (with a mini SD card) to a paltry 4Gb now. Not enough to put all my music on the phone plus nav software, and no slot for more storage.
GROSS GREASINESS
As other forum users have pointed out, all that swiping on this shiny black device - it looks like the back of a transit van after a minute or so of use.
CONCLUSION
Owning an HTC Diamond is without doubt a step forward from an HTC Touch, but it's a smaller step than you might think. Be prepared for a mixed bag of emotions. Joy at the look of the thing, disappointment when you realise it's slower than you hoped, shouts of happiness when you first play 'Teeter', cries of frustration when the screen turns off randomly during calls or you miss-hit the joypad button or you can't swipe the tiny bit of the screen you're meant to.
After all that, I might surprise you by saying this. I would still say this phone is the best option on the market for the day-to-day user who wants an ultra-portable device that packs enough power to do that bit more than just making calls.
Just 24 hours into owning the phone I did my first ROM flash, from 1.37...1 to 1.37...3 - and this helped the speed somewhat and fixed a memory leak. I also tweaked the registry as much as I could. This has helped too, but the above problems are all still too evident, nothing has really improved enough to make me retract any of them. Keep watching these forums, though, because future ROM updates have the power to make this device much, much better.
That's about it, I hope these comments have helped, or given you something to debate in the space below. I'm going to stick with the Diamond for now. But I wouldn't mind betting I'll have completely disabled TouchFlo 3D before the week is out...
Carlos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what a crap...
THE SPEED
Put one of the new ROMs on it (Dutty, Walshieau), runs like hell. No delay here!
TFL3D - INTERFACE
Simply switch TF3D off if you don't like it.
And use an existing tool for your today (SPB Mobile Shell ect.).
COMMON ACTIONS, E.G. CALLING PEOPLE
Disable the Diamond dialer, you get your traditional dialer back.
HOME SCREEN (TFL3D again really)
Simply switch TF3D off.
Use an existing tool for today (SPB Mobile Shell ect.).
THE JOYPAD
Get used to it, it works perfect after a few weeks.
NO MINI SD CARD SLOT
Ok, maybe you got a point...
On the other hand: do you really need ALL your music all the time. A sync now and then for other music isn't that hard.
GROSS GREASINESS
Ok, the shiny cover gets greasy. But is't so beautiful,,,
Recently, I've been considering getting a Nexus One, however, most of the reviews I read say that the N1's capacitive buttons are a little unresponsive. You must tap the upper half of the button as opposed to the bottom half of the button.
I've also read that some of the cyanogen roms have fixed this problem. Can anyone give me more insight on this issue?
I've never had a problem with mine.
I saw a review saying that they got in the way when typing w/ the onscreen keyboard, but I haven't even had that, and I'd like to think that I have pretty normal-sized fingers.
Some people have problems, others don't i personally haven't. I wouldn't consider it to be something important enough to sway me from a sale though.
Stock Rom had this issue. If you unlock your bootloader, all the kernels (and mods) available now have a fix for this, as well as a few other things.
Im sure when 2.2 update comes out this fix will be passed on to the stock version too (at least as far as im aware it hasnt already!?). So tbh this isnt an issue for you not to get a nexus one...also, there's no point getting a nexus one if ur too scared to unlock the bootloader!!
adam18488 said:
Stock Rom had this issue. If you unlock your bootloader, all the kernels (and mods) available now have a fix for this, as well as a few other things.
Im sure when 2.2 update comes out this fix will be passed on to the stock version too (at least as far as im aware it hasnt already!?). So tbh this isnt an issue for you not to get a nexus one...also, there's no point getting a nexus one if ur too scared to unlock the bootloader!!
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Click to collapse
Definitely! That's one of the biggest reasons why I want an N1. It has a good root and dev community and gets android updates first.
I just thought it'd be annoying to have to use a phone with crappy capacitive buttons, but I'm glad to hear that the problem has been fixed.
The only other thing I'm worried about is the dualtouch but it's most definitely going to get fixed in the next update.
Thanks to everyone for their input. I'll definitely be picking up an N1 soon
I have rooted and custom roms etc and I still hate the capacitive buttons with a passion. They are not nearly enough to topple the overall awesome that is the N1 but man I hate those things.
I only hate those buttons, when Nex is in my car mount!
adam18488 said:
Stock Rom had this issue. If you unlock your bootloader, all the kernels (and mods) available now have a fix for this, as well as a few other things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this true? I've tried plenty of ROMs and kernels and I don't remember any of them changing the button sensitivity.
The best way to show off how frustrating the buttons can be is to give the phone to someone that's never played with it before and watch as they struggle to register touches on the buttons. The people that use the phone daily have recognized that the touchpad is above the button and never think about it any more.
It's very apparent as soon as you rotate the phone into a different position though.
PrawnPoBoy said:
Is this true? I've tried plenty of ROMs and kernels and I don't remember any of them changing the button sensitivity.
The best way to show off how frustrating the buttons can be is to give the phone to someone that's never played with it before and watch as they struggle to register touches on the buttons. The people that use the phone daily have recognized that the touchpad is above the button and never think about it any more.
It's very apparent as soon as you rotate the phone into a different position though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also haven't noticed any change in the sensitivity with different ROMs or kernels. For me though, sometimes if I hit right on top of the button it won't register. I am used to just tapping it a little above and it works everytime.
As others have said, this is definitely not a deal breaker for me or shouldn't be for any person IMO. This phone's pros far outweigh the cons.
The best way to show off how frustrating the buttons can be is to give the phone to someone that's never played with it before and watch as they struggle to register touches on the buttons. The people that use the phone daily have recognized that the touchpad is above the button and never think about it any more.
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Click to collapse
When someone is doing that you should just say that it has Finger print authentication technology
absolutely true and this was my discovery today (day 4 with n1). the buttons work fine if you cheat towards the top of the button area and overlap into the screen area.
that solved it for me.
resolved for me for now...
xboomer55 said:
absolutely true and this was my discovery today (day 4 with n1). the buttons work fine if you cheat towards the top of the button area and overlap into the screen area.
that solved it for me.
resolved for me for now...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you just buy your N1 from Google brand new?
Those buttons are a pain in the bum, but you get used to them, the bigger problem is if the phone gets too cold it starts mis-registering the touchscreen necessitating a reboot or a bunch of mucking around to fix it. This is the biggest annoyance with the phone for me, hopefully they fix the screen calibration in 2.2!
Almost swapped mine for a Desire, thinking less of doing so now, unless anyone can offer a good reason
I got my N1 straight from Google on day one, and I'm currently running CM 5.06
I find the capacitive buttons to be _awful_ if I tap directly on them it takes 2-5 attempts to get it to register.
However, I have found that if I swipe from the button down off the bottom of the button it registers ever single time.
I'm pretty convinced that the problem isn't the digitiser itself but in the driver that splits that section of the digitiser off. I believe it checks to see if there is upward movement before registering a button tap and if it does detect upward motion it cancels the tap event and forwards the event as a touch screen event. I also thing that because I have pretty big fingers any time I press the flattening of my finger registers as a slight upward motion.
If I could find the button "sub"-driver I'd be hacking at it right now.
Still, I wouldn't give up my N1.
SilentMobius said:
I got my N1 straight from Google on day one, and I'm currently running CM 5.06
I find the capacitive buttons to be _awful_ if I tap directly on them it takes 2-5 attempts to get it to register.
However, I have found that if I swipe from the button down off the bottom of the button it registers ever single time.
I'm pretty convinced that the problem isn't the digitiser itself but in the driver that splits that section of the digitiser off. I believe it checks to see if there is upward movement before registering a button tap and if it does detect upward motion it cancels the tap event and forwards the event as a touch screen event. I also thing that because I have pretty big fingers any time I press the flattening of my finger registers as a slight upward motion.
If I could find the button "sub"-driver I'd be hacking at it right now.
Still, I wouldn't give up my N1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just realized that!!
It does not get the upward movement
It gets: right, left & down
So this means, one could set different options for different directions...
hacker01 said:
Recently, I've been considering getting a Nexus One, however, most of the reviews I read say that the N1's capacitive buttons are a little unresponsive. You must tap the upper half of the button as opposed to the bottom half of the button.
I've also read that some of the cyanogen roms have fixed this problem. Can anyone give me more insight on this issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have noticed no issues when holding the phone in my hands but the responsiveness is not that great if the phone is flat on a desk or a similar surface. I wonder what if anything the accelerometer may play a factor.
PrawnPoBoy said:
Is this true? I've tried plenty of ROMs and kernels and I don't remember any of them changing the button sensitivity.
The best way to show off how frustrating the buttons can be is to give the phone to someone that's never played with it before and watch as they struggle to register touches on the buttons. The people that use the phone daily have recognized that the touchpad is above the button and never think about it any more.
It's very apparent as soon as you rotate the phone into a different position though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dunna man, my 3-year-old daughter figured it out within a minute of getting my phone. I set her up in a game and she decided she wanted something else, so she messed with the capacitive buttons until she got out of the game. Once she had it once or twice (~5-10 seconds for her to figure out each time) it was pretty much instant after that. If a 3-yo can figure it out, I'm pretty sure it's not THAT difficult. Annoying, sure....but not difficult.
hacker01 said:
Did you just buy your N1 from Google brand new?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Direct from Google.
Wow there's definitely a good mix of answers. I thought that the newer batches of N1's fixed the capacitive button problem, but apparently not.
I guess there's not a definite answer. It seems the only conclusion you can make is that some N1's may still have the problem, some may not. Some can be fixed with custom roms and unlocking the bootloader and some cannot. Your results may very.
EDIT: After rereading some of the previous posts (more carefully. excuse my sleep deprived state lol), the capacitive button issue might actually be more of a feature than an issue. I've read similar posts about the capacitive buttons having that sort of "motion detection" thing to prevent accident presses. Hopefully for anyone still having the problem, you can reread some of the posts on this page and give their methods a try
I haven't had a problem with mine but I haven't had the problems most people say they have with the phone so I would recommend this phone to anyone that wants an android phone
-------------------------------------
Sent from my Nexus One
I just got my Xoom bluetooth keyboard in today for my nook, and I got to say... I couldn't be happier
Typing on this thing is so easy as it is a full size keyboard. The keys are nice and big, but not to big but just the right size. They have a nice spacing and the whole keyboard just seems to flow and it let's your fingerrs move fast across the keys.
It does have it down sides such as: not all the keys seem to work most do without a problem but caps lock does not work, as does the Tab button. Arrow keys work, but they seem to be swithed, the left arrow goes up, the right arrow down, the up arrow left, and the down arrow, right. I assume these keys work on a computer that can make use of a bluetooth keyboard but seeing as my computer does not have such functionailty, I cannot test it out.
Around the edges there is a glossy finish which leads to mucho fingerprints. The keys are matte, so the only time they ever seem to get nasty is when you are really greassy, or you are sweaty.
All in all, I'd have to give this keyboard an 8/10 It would get a 7, but seeing as how I got it from wal-mart for around $10-20 cheaper, it makes it a great deal
P.S. It's not AS sexy as the pictures make it look :/ but its very slim and is still pretty sexy in person
P.S.S The nook box makes a great "dock" when you are at a table at the library
P.S.S.S I just took a typing test on my nook and got 58 words per minute, which is just a little slower than my normal typing speed of 65 on my computers keyboard
LOOK FOR PICS BELOW
*Sorry if my grammer and punction are off, I did type this all from the keyboard and will edit it when I can get home.
Thanks for letting us know, it sure does look cool
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Motorola-XOOM-Bluetooth-Keyboard-Review_id2668
Once HC is released then it will work with the caps and tab buttons
Sent from one of those missing Droids
altimax98 said:
Once HC is released then it will work with the caps and tab buttons
Sent from one of those missing Droids
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh that does make sense... And I guess that also means if I was using the stock music player the music keys would work. I am using phirmod 5.1 and the music keys don't work, the menu key doesn't work, and the keyboard seems to disconnect... kinda a lot. And I wishI could fix the key mappings on the dpad but I'll get used to it I assume
What app did you use to check your APM?
jinp6301 said:
What app did you use to check your APM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't use an app, there is a website called 10speedyfingers, or something, that will let you check you wpm online. Just Google it and you should find it
@DiscoPh3v3r: can you post a photo of nook and keyboard together for size comparison? Thanks.
you beat me on a review by one day! I also got it from wal-mart ship-to-store (expecting to get a text from them any minute saying it's there) and was surprised at the price difference even over Amazon! I figured man this is MADE for android, why not get it? the first BT keyboard I bought I had to take back (from Frys) bcuz not only was it broken, but also it was so small I don't know how they can consider it a full sized keyboard.
I'll be getting mine, as I said, today or tomorrow, so I'll write my thoughts on here as well (as long as the OP doesn't mind).
Quick question, does it come with a case or anything to protect it? If not, I'll be looking for something to do so since I usually carry my nook and such in my backpack...
Ill try to post a picture but camera isn't very good
And it doesnt really come with a case, but it does come with a nice little plastic sleeve it comes wrapped in, sure it will look cheap, but it works great for me.
Hey Disco, got mine today and it works great except for it going to sleep mid typing pretty often, any idea why and how to fix it? This would about ruin it for me if I can't get it fixed...
JLCollier2005 said:
Hey Disco, got mine today and it works great except for it going to sleep mid typing pretty often, any idea why and how to fix it? This would about ruin it for me if I can't get it fixed...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, that was one of my mine gripes. I cant seem to get it to stay connected, I'm hoping it is nook related and not keyboard related, so that it can be fixed with a new nightly. As of late I have not been able to get to stay connected because sometimes it will last about 30minutes and then die, and other times it takes just a second or 2.
DiscoPh3v3r said:
Yup, that was one of my mine gripes. I cant seem to get it to stay connected, I'm hoping it is nook related and not keyboard related, so that it can be fixed with a new nightly. As of late I have not been able to get to stay connected because sometimes it will last about 30minutes and then die, and other times it takes just a second or 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
after talking to others, searching around the net, and frustrating attempt at fixes, I found a work-around. Download the app Bluetooth Keyboard JP, change the settings in settings > Language and Keyboard to that app, then connect the keyboard.
I went from a (max) of 45 seconds connected to not getting disconnected after writing a lengthy email, posting to facebook, and letting it sit for 10 minutes. I also didn't get that problem where the keyboard would seem connected, but all of a sudden hit the back button and exit out of the app/screen I was in.
It does have it's issues, though. One being that the faster you type the less responsive it is. I'm a very fast typer and it's hard for me to slow down, but it still was ok. Sometimes it will repeat a keystroke (i.e. we will turn into wwwwwwwwwwwwwwe), and sometimes the special character box will pop up while tying (although I think this, again, had to do with fast typing).
I'm going to try to get in contact with the CM7 devs and see what they think and if there is a fix in the works (or at least point it out to them and tell them about the app). Knowing those guys, they'll probably be able to fix the initial issue and eliminate the other problems with it!
Edit: Oh and with this app I was able to get tab to work on some apps, but not others (seems to work good with mobile websites), the back button works perfectly, as does the home key and search.
DiscoPh3v3r said:
Yup, that was one of my mine gripes. I cant seem to get it to stay connected, I'm hoping it is nook related and not keyboard related, so that it can be fixed with a new nightly. As of late I have not been able to get to stay connected because sometimes it will last about 30minutes and then die, and other times it takes just a second or 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a different Bluetooth keyboard and it does the exact same thing on my nook, works fine on my desire. So i do believe that it is nook related and not the keyboard.
I posted in the thread below how to get arrow keys working in landscape mode and menu button to function correctly. I attempted to make other keys work as well. See link. Expand the single post to see additional details given by me in the next post.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=12918367&postcount=44
Hi guys! All new to this site. I just got a z3c and everything is really great, but for 2 things:
The screen response is so poor, that if it can't be fixed, I'm returning it. Deal breaker.
Whenever I tap something, the screen responses in about 1 second. That is too long. Way too long.
Any of you tried the "Don't tap the white tile" app? (it's a game, where you have to be fast on your fingers) If you have (or you think, that your phone is NOT slow, please give it a go)
The swiping seems to be ok, it's the tapping that's delayed!
I'm hoping that it's just my phone and it can be replaced, 'cause otherwise I will have no choice, but to find another one.
Also is it not possible for me, to decide wether or not an app can have acces to internet? On iPhones you can manually dissable every app from using the internet, both wifi and regular. This can also prove to be a deal breaker for me.
I hope you can help me to find out if I should keep this, apart from that stuff, really wonderful phone or if I have to go back to iPhone, which I don't want to actually.
Regards Kokinos, Denmark
"Whenever I tap something, the screen responses in about 1 second." - that is definitely not normal. I am playing Wordz and screen response is instant.
There are many apps to control permission (e.g. Internet) for individual apps, but it requires root - APP OPS is the best. But you might try this, which works without root: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.netspark.firewall&hl=en or this: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gmail.permissionmanager&hl=en
davebugyi said:
"Whenever I tap something, the screen responses in about 1 second." - that is definitely not normal. I am playing Wordz and screen response is instant.
There are many apps to control permission (e.g. Internet) for individual apps, but it requires root - APP OPS is the best. But you might try this, which works without root:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot, Dave! I'm so pleased to hear that, I will take it to the store and ask for a replacement then
-funny thing is, if I tap really hard, as in so hard the pixels round my finger turn black and I'm holding on to the phone with the other hand so tight, that it's on the verge of breaking, it IS possible to get the phone to react a, almost, once.
But swipe seems to work alright. I can't understand that. I actually thougt it was a software flaw and not a hardware one. But maybe I'm wrong.
I'll read into your links. My boyfriend might be able to understand a little more of it, so he'll help me
Nobody, that have noticed a delay on tapping, but not swiping?
Anybody I can convince to try the "Don't tap the white tile" game? It's free. I can play it fine on a iPhone, but on my Z3c the screen doesn't react fast enough. Unless I tap so hard, the pixels around my finger turn black and that can't be healthy for the phone.
It's not, that this game is important, it's just, that it shows very accurate, wether your sceen has delay or not.
That white tile game is the piano kind of game from Cheetah game studios? In case I just tried it and no issues with the screen response while tapping. It's more likely that you have a faulty device :/
davebugyi said:
That white tile game is the piano kind of game from Cheetah game studios? In case I just tried it and no issues with the screen response while tapping. It's more likely that you have a faulty device :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it is, and thank you SO much, Dave, you have been so helpfull :victory:
Yay, I'm so glad I don't have to find another phone, I will go and have this replaced :victory:
Thank you!
Kokinos said:
Thanks a lot, Dave! I'm so pleased to hear that, I will take it to the store and ask for a replacement then
-funny thing is, if I tap really hard, as in so hard the pixels round my finger turn black and I'm holding on to the phone with the other hand so tight, that it's on the verge of breaking, it IS possible to get the phone to react a, almost, once.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cant imagine why your phone isnt working properly , cross your fingers the store you are trying to return it to doesnt read this forum.
jarayn said:
I cant imagine why your phone isnt working properly , cross your fingers the store you are trying to return it to doesnt read this forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your not so helpfull comment. I would certainly NOT have pressed that hard, if it weren't for the fact, that I either would return it or have a replacement. Luckily I'm located in Denmark. We have excellent consumer rights. Otherwise I would be stupid to have done so.